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Car Smashed Over Edge of Bay Bridge, Driver Survives

ARNOLD, MD - JULY 03: Vehicles wait to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on U.S. Routes 50 and 301 July 3, 2013 near Sandy Point State Park in Arnold, Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is the main route from the Washington, DC area to beaches located along the Delmarva Peninsula and one of the most heavily trafficked routes on the Fourth of July weekend. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(Photo credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

SANDY POINT, Md. — A collision involving a tractor-trailer and two vehicles sent a car and its driver over the side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and down 40 feet into the water on Friday night, but the driver was able to climb to safety

Anne Arundel County Fire Battalion Chief Steve Thompson said the driver, a 22-year-old woman, was rescued and flown to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore. She was in critical condition late Friday with non-life-threatening injuries.

Thompson said the collision occurred at about 8:25 p.m. Friday in the eastbound lanes of the bridge, which connects Maryland’s Eastern Shore with the rest of the state, including Annapolis.

The accident occurred about a quarter-mile onto the span. The vehicle went into water that was about 8 feet deep. She managed to get herself onto a piling of stones around the bridge support. A boater saw the incident and stayed with the victim until emergency responders arrived and transported her by boat and helicopter. She was conscious, alert and asking questions, Thompson said.

There were no other injuries. The Bay Bridge was shut down eastbound, toward the beaches, as the accident was investigated.